I curled the last strand of hair and looked at my bare face. I was tempted to just leave my face like this but decided against it. I quickly got changed and zipped the dress up. It fit perfectly but I wasn’t sure about how it looked. I was doubtful that I would actually look nice in it. I put on my makeup and went downstairs to where Dylan was currently playing Fifa on the Xbox. I gathered all my stuff into a small bag.
It was currently 5:25 so I still had five minutes to get ready. As I walked past the room Dylan was in he called me back.
“Wow you look beautiful sis.” He said, pausing his game.
“Thanks, you gonna be right on your own tonight?” I asked smiling at him.
“Yeah I should be, what about you? Where are you going?” He asked returning the smile. He looked so happy.
“I’ve got a date so I’m not entirely sure what time I’ll be home but don’t wait up.” I said quietly, hoping he wouldn’t ask who. I don’t think I actually have the guts to tell him this.
“Hmmm, a date? Will you need pepper spray for this creep or?” He asked jokingly.
“Trust me he isn’t a creep,” I said. “But I’ll take some if it puts your mind at rest.” I replied jokingly.
“Would Dad know who this mystery guy is?” He asked still smiling and raising his eyebrows.
“No he doesn’t know because do you remember my last date? He insisted on having the guy come in, he then grilled him with all these really weird questions then he made us late for our reservation. As you can probably guess there was no second date.” I said the last part with a small chuckle, reminiscing on that moment.
“Ahhahahaha yep I remember, he wasn’t too bad that guy actually.” He said, trying to hold back a laugh.
“Yeah, so it’s probably best that we leave Dad out of the picture.” I said and smiled.
“Ok then, if we have to.” He said jokingly.
“Ok I should probably go, he’ll be here soon.”
“Oh is he picking you up? Ok then I’ll see you later.” I waved goodbye after he had said this and made my way back upstairs to grab my phone. As I slowly left my room there was a knock at the door. I quickly ran downstairs but I was too late as Dylan had already opened the door.
I walked around the corner to see Dylan looking confused. He pointed to me then to Brad who stood there in what looked like new black skinny jeans and a dark green and black plaid shirt which he left open to reveal a plain white t-shirt underneath. He had his hair perfectly done and to be honest I just wanted to run my fingers through it. It looked so fluffy.
“Wait so you’re going on a date with him?” He asked still looking confused. Brad was going bright red and was starting to get nervous. I was still out of view from Brad but I could see him perfectly. I stepped around the corner so Brad could see me. His mouth fell open immediately.
“Yep” I said simply, trying not to lose my shit in front of Brad at Dylan.
“Alright uh, have fun.” Dylan said and stepped out of the way. He seemed to wake from his little trance.
“Bye.” I said and he left.
“You look absolutely stunning.” Brad said as his eyes scanned my entire body.
“Thank you, you don’t scrub up too badly yourself.” He smiled when I said this and I locked the door and shut it behind me. He lead me out to his car which was an old Holden LD Astra. It was old but well kept and looked nice. He came around my side and opened my door. He then walked around and got in the car himself.
“So Bradley, where are we going tonight.” I asked smiling as he started the car.
“Well Clarise, that’s a surprise.” He said and began driving. He started making his way toward the town.
After around 10 minutes of silence he pulled over outside a fishing shop. I looked at him with a questioning look.
“Follow me.” He said and quickly got out of the car to open the door for me. He helped me out of his car and lead me towards the shop, still holding my hand tightly. We entered the shop and he waved to a man at the register. Old music was playing in the shop and it was very beach-hut-themed. I had never been here before so the suspense and confusion was just building up.
“Brad?” I whispered as he lead me to the back of the shop.
“Don’t worry, you're not about to get murdered, I wouldn’t let that happen especially when you are looking so beautiful.” He said smirking. I had no idea how to take that so I just looked down and let him lead me out the back. He opened a door which lead us down an old alleyway. It smelt really bad and I was starting to question whether this whole date thing was a good idea. Was he taking me to a drug dealer or something?
After walked down some more alleyways he turned to me.
“Close your eyes and I’ll guide you.” He said. He wrapped both arms around my waist. I closed my eyes and he began to guide me along. After about a minutes I began to hear some waves. Finally I felt a breeze of warm air hit my face and I was suddenly aware that I was no longer standing on concrete but now grass.
Brad pulled away from my waist.
“OPEN!” He screamed. I my open eyes were met with an outdoor restaurant with fairy lights in the trees. It was on a smooth cliff just before the sea. There were trees and tables everywhere with a few couples at the further end. It was beautiful. Brad was standing about to metres ahead looking so proud of himself.
“This is beautiful Bradley.” I told him and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed bright red and walked over to where a woman dressed in all black was standing. She was standing behind a small lectern.
“Uh we have a reservation for Jackson.” Brad said and turned to smile at me. I smiled back. This was really exciting for me and I could tell he was pretty excited too. The woman led us over to the table. We both sat down and she left two drinks menus.
“So were you expecting this?” He asked and motioned to everything around him.
“No, I had no idea what to expect, you didn’t drop any hints.” I told him with a little giggle.
“You like it?” He asked, looking down at his menu.
“I love it Brad. Thank-you.”
“Are you ready to place an order for drinks?” The waiter asked.
“Uh yes, we will have a bottle of your finest and most expensive bottle of Champaign.” Brad announced, looking proud.
“Certainly sir” the young waitress said and walked off.
“Brad. That’s going to be really, really, really expensive.”
“Don’t worry Clarise, it’s under control.” He said as another waiter returned with a tray containing two glasses and a bottle. He poured our drinks and we prepared to order. Brad ordered the most expensive meal. I was really confused, how would he pay for this? Maybe I would end up having to pay.
After a little while of small talk our meals came. The food was amazing and so was the champaign.
“Ok let’s play questions. You ask one question and only one, I answer then it’s my turn.” He said, smiling sweetly at me.
“Ok you go first.” I said, feeling confident.
“how many previous boyfriends have you had?” He asked resting his head in his hands.
“2 serious 1 semi,” I answered calmly, taking a sip of my drink. He looked a little annoyed. “How many girlfriends have you had?” I asked raising my eyebrows.
“uh 4 serious I think.” He answered but I could tell he was lying. It didn’t quite reach his eyes and I knew immediately that the truth was that he has been with maybe one girl in a serious relationships but with many other girls too.
“Middle name?” He asked and looked around. He looked nervous.
“Simone.” I told him. “Why did you ask me out?” I asked, trying not to come off as rude.
“You’re beautiful and smart and witty and you have an answer for everything.” He replied.
“Favourite place to be?” He asked.
“The beach. Ever been in love?” I asked but it felt like a really personal question to ask and I regretted it as soon as I had said it.
“No, not yet. Why did you agree to go on this date with me?” He asked, looking a little scared.
“Because I really like you, you bring a smile to my face. Does Tris like me?” I asked, the questions flowing fast.
“Uh yeah… yeah he does but so do I and it’s kinda tricky. Any tattoos?” He asked. He raised his eyebrows as if to insinuate that the answer would be no.
“Two.” I answered and smiled.
“What? Where?” He asked.
“Bradley those are not the rules it’s my turn. Any tattoos?”
“Uh um… no” He said looking as if I had just defeated him.
“Hahaha too painful?”
“Clarise those are not the rules it’s my turn. Ever cheated on someone?” He asked, mocking my tone. I was taken aback by the question. Why would he ask this?
“No. You?” I asked still surprised.
“Nah, it’s not fair on a poor girl. What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told.”
“I once told a guy I was a lesbian because he wouldn’t leave me alone. I even made up a fake profile account for my ‘girlfriend’ so he wouldn’t get suspicious.” We both laughed incredibly hard at this. “What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve done?” I asked.
“I told my parents I was going to live with a friend for a couple of weeks when actually I had booked a flight overseas without them knowing.”
“Oh my god Brad, you badass.” I told him, pushing him playfully.
“Ever had your heartbroken?” He whispered.
“Too many times. You?” I asked, suddenly feeling sick and running out of questions.
“No but I’ve had my heart stolen by someone.” He said and looked deep into my eye.
“C’mon Chloe let’s go for a walk.” He said and called the waitress over.
“How can I help you sir?” She asked politely.
“Can we please have the bill?” He asked politely. The waitress nodded and walked away.
“Thanks Brad this has been lovely.” I smiled shyly.
“No problem.” He said and put his hand on top of mine from across the table.
“Here is your bill.” The waiter said as he placed a small leather folder on the table. As he walked away I grabbed the bill before Brad could.
“Chloe give it here now.” He said sternly. I quickly opened it to find that we had a bill on our hands that was over 175 pounds. I gasped and gave it back to brad who grabbed the pen and pulled out his napkin. He wrote something on the napkin which read:
Thanks, dinner was nice.
He placed it inside and closed the folder.
“Brad what the hell are you doing?” I whispered across the table.
“Taking a fine lady out to dinner. Now let’s get out of here.” He stood and grabbed my hand. We speed walked towards the other side of the cliff towards some shop. Brad nodded kindly at the waiter walking past. As soon as we passed him Brad held my hand tightly and began to run. We ran as fast as possible and heard someone yelling at us but we ignored them and kept running.
We ran till we reached some steps that led down to the beach. We sat on the sand and sighed, completely out of breath.
“You never intended on paying did you? I asked breathlessly but unable to control any laughter.
“Nope. What can I say I’m a true gentleman.” He said and looked deeper into my eyes. I felt like I was under pressure to say something so I just mentioned whatever first came into mind.
“So what do you think about the SITC gig?” I asked and he looked at me confused.
“What’s SITC?”
“Summer In The City.” I concluded and recognition washed over his face.
“Ohh right yeah. Well I heard that it’s a Youtube event so I don’t know how I feel about it.” He said with a smile.
“Yeah they have only ever incorporated music in a couple of times but this year is meant to be really good.” I told him.
“Are you like… um… well are you going to be our management, or? I mean I would be happy if you were it’s just a question.” He asked nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
“No, I’ll just assist you for a few months before you guys will get big then you’ll have your own management and before you know it you’ll have forgotten about me and will be seeing a new girl every night.” I whispered sadly and looked into the distance. Tonight was beautiful but there was always one thing that ruined the fun.
“Hey, I will never forget you and neither will the boys. You have gotten us signed and it’s all uphill from here on.” He said, attempting to sound reassuring and placing and around my shoulder. Instead of resisting and moving away I did something really strange. I leant into his body to feel the warmth radiating off his body. He was only a little taller than me but when we were like this it felt like I was a tiny kid and he was a giant. I looked up to see him staring at me as if I were the most precious thing he had ever seen.
“What?”
“Oh nothing, just wondering how I got lucky enough to be watching the sun set in London, sitting on the beach with a very, very beautiful girl.” He said smiling and kissing my hair.
We stayed like this for a really long time just cuddling and talking until he spoke up.
“Wanna do something fun?”
“The whole night has been fun, how could it improve anymore?” I questioned, pretending to stroke an imaginary beard. He laughed and helped me up. We brushed ourselves off, heading back to his car a different way.
We got into his car and he pulled out his phone. He dialled a number then turned it on speaker.
“Hello this is Jenny from the apple store how can I help you?”
“Uh hey jenny I was just wondering if you have seen my friends bearded dragon.” Brad said down the phone, putting on a stronger accent.
“A bearded dragon?”
“Yes a bearded dragon and I also left my man bag on the table in there, which contained the bearded dragon.” He said calmly. By this time I had lost my shit and was laughing hard. He reached over and put his hand over my mouth. I bit his hand and he screamed.
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah just a rat bit me. Anyway have you seen either in your store?”
“A man bag? Carrying a bearded dragon?”
“Yeah it’s like a handbag but more for manly men.”
“Right I don’t really understand.”
“Well that’s a shame. Also the bearded dragon can sniff out computer cords so I suggest ya help me find him quickly.” He said with a smile.
“Chewing cords? Is he still in the man bag?”
“Well I don’t know Jenny is he? That is a stupid question and stupid people ask stupid questions. Look I really need you to be serious about this and help me because my expensive diahorrea tablets are in there too and I am shitting myself with fear at the moment quite literally.” He explained.
“Right, well I’ll check lost and found for you.” She said and Brad ended the call there. I was laughing so hysterically that the mascara was starting to run. I grabbed onto Brad’s arm and just laughed.
“You are one of the funniest people I have ever met.” I told him. It was starting to get late so he offered to take me back to my place but there was a slight problem. Both of us had been drinking and we didn’t want to get pulled over by the cops. We would have called a taxi but Brad’s car would get pulled for being in a zone for too long. We decided we would just have to move the car and wait. We couldn’t call the boys because no one was really meant to know that we were going on a date and Rae was out tonight.
We waited another half an hour when we decided that we would have to go back to my place regardless. I drove because I drunk the least amount of alcohol.
We made it back to my place alive without dying.
“What are we going to do because you can’t drive home?” I asked as we walked back to my apartment.
“I have no idea.” He said as I was about to open the door.
“You’ll have to stay the night here.”
“What about your brother? He’s sure to kill me if he finds out that I’m gonna stay the night.”
“Well we’ve just gotta be sneaky.” I told him and unlocked the door.
“Oh I do like girls who take risks.” He said and grabbed me by the waist. I turned around to him and raised an eyebrow playfully. He leant in so his forehead was touching mine.
“It’s true.” He whispered. I got lost in staring at his face. His features were so subtle yet were so obvious at the same time. He was a perfect human, taking an imperfect person on a date. I turned away and stepped through the door signalling for him to wait at the door. I quickly took my shoes off so they wouldn’t make any noise on the floorboards.
I made my way up to Dylan’s room to find that the light was off. I opened the door really slowly so that no noise was made. The door creaked ever-so-slightly and I froze, scared for both mine and Brad (who was still waiting for the green light)’s life. I peaked in to see him asleep and stirring slightly. I shut the door so slowly that it felt as if I had been waiting there for years. Finally it was shut so I made my way back downstairs.
“Hey, hey.” I whisper/yelled at Brad.
“All clear?” He asked raising his eyebrows.
“Yep, take off your shoes.” I told him. He did so and then ran a hand through his hair. His hair stayed in the same position regardless that he had just grabbed at the curls.
“Oh and don’t leave your shoes here. Dylan is going out in the morning so you just have to stay hidden until then.” I said as I led him up the stairs into my bedroom.
“Hmm so now we’ve both seen each other’s bedrooms. We’re practically married” He said smirking.
“Yeah, don’t push it Simpson.” I told him, nudging his arm.
“Ow” He said, pretending to be hurt.
“I don’t have anything for you to change into so you’re just gonna have to sleep in your underwear.
“That’s alright, I usually always do.” He said still smirking.
“Alright I’ll be right back. I said going into the bathroom with a t-shirt and some shorts. I got changed and removed my make-up. I tied up my curled hair and looked at myself in the mirror. I kept remembering the last time I went on a date with my last serious boyfriend. The relationship was so wrong and it hurt so much. I shook my head to try and get rid of the image. I walked back out to see Brad sitting on the bed with Dylan’s cat on his lap.
“This yours?” He asked pointing towards the cat. “‘Cause you don’t really seem like a cat person.”
“Nah it’s Dylan’s. I hate it.” I said and realised how our positions had switched.
“Remember last time this happened?” I asked leaning against the doorframe. “It was me with the cat on my lap and you walking out of the bathroom.” I said smiling to myself.
“Hah yeah.”
“You can use the bathroom if you want.” I told him.
“Cheers.” He said and brushed past me on his way in. Just his touch made my senses go wild.
A few minutes later he exited.
“Just think soon I’ll be in my own apartment and there will be no more sneaking around.” I laughed.
“Hahaha it honestly feels like we’re sneaking around your parents, not your brother.” He said with a quick smile.
“Yeah. Look tonight was amazing. Thank you so much, I have had so much fun.”
“Would I possibly, maybe, just a little bit be pushing my luck if I asked for a second?” He asked, flushing bright red.
“Look, let’s take everyday as it comes ok? We haven’t even had a chance to finish our first date yet.” I said with a smile. He returned it. The look in his eyes hinted that he wouldn’t be giving up any time soon.
“Ok.” He said staring at me. We stared into each other’s eyes for a while until it began to get awkward so I broke the silence.
“Uh I’ll take the floor.” I said feeling uncomfortable.
“Don’t wanna sleep with me? The bed’s big enough.” He said motioning towards the bed.
“Well last time that was a little weird. I mean it just wasn't very… gentlemanly of you.”
“What do you mean by that?” He asked, hurt in his voice.
“Well for example Rae told me that the same happened with her and Connor except that Connor let her have the bed. I don’t know. Look I’m probably just being silly but it felt like you took advantage of the situation.”
“Well I can’t say I heard you complaining.” He retorted.
“I was trying to be polite.” I whispered.
“How was I meant to know that?”
“Just forget it.” I said quietly and climbed into bed. I felt really upset that he got his back up suddenly and I felt angry with myself because he probably doesn’t even want to talk to me anymore. I have so totally blown this. I felt like crying but knew I couldn’t because he was still in the room. A few silent tears passed as he turned off the light and I pulled the covers up to my chin. I head him shuffle around in the dark for a while then I heard a loud thump. I sat upright straight away trying to see what was wrong.
“AGH FUCK!” He yelled falling onto the bed.
“Shhhh, Brad are you ok?” I asked, suddenly forgetting about our little argument.
“Ugh no, stupid fuckin bed.” He swore.
“Brad keep your voice down, Dylan’s only down the hall.” I told him as he sat up on the bed and cradled his foot. He must’ve hit his toes.
“Sorry, all I wanted to do was come around and apologise to you but this bloody bed. Who the hell puts wood around the outside of a bed with sharp corners?” He asked the rhetorical question. I couldn’t help but laugh at him. I put my arm on his shoulder and just rubbed it but he stood up as soon as I touched him. I must’ve done something wrong.
I lay back down and sighed feeling more tears stream silently down my face. I was sure that I was about to hear him open the door and leave but instead the bed dipped and he hopped in. He felt around and found my body. He pulled himself closer and I turned away incase he could see the tears. He hugged me from behind.
“I’m sorry for doing that and I knew inside that it wasn’t the right thing to do but I just couldn’t help myself. And I am well aware that what I’m doing right here is completely ironic. I’m sorry but you’re just one of those people that I am inevitably attracted to.” He spoke with meaning in his words. He was so sincere. I turned to face him and he kissed my cheek.
“Thanks Brad.” I whispered quietly, not really knowing why I was thanking him.
“Wait are you crying?” He asked, a sudden seriousness set in his tone.
“I’m just being silly Brad. Ignore me.” I said but I in no way meant the last part. All I really wanted was attention from Brad. It was a really strange feeling.
“No, no I won’t. Don’t cry Chloe I didn’t mean to be like that.” He said and kissed my cheek again, hugging me tighter as if to squeeze all the pieces back together. He began to let go and get out but I grabbed his arm.
“Don’t leave Bradley.” I said using his full name. It felt more powerful than just calling him Brad. I could feel his eyes meeting mine and butterflies were erupting from my insides. He leant in and grabbed the side of my face gently, bringing his lips to mine. We kissed slowly for a minute and then pulled away.
“Goodnight Clarise.” He said and laid back down.
“Goodnight Bradley.” I said and turned to kiss him just one last time before we both fell into a deep sleep.